The Imams of the Legal Schools and Their Students

The entries on the founders of the legal schools and their principal students occupy a position of central importance within the Tahdhib. For al-Nawawi, a committed Shafi'i who devoted much of his scholarly career to expounding and defending the school's positions, the biography of al-Shafi'i himself is a matter of deep personal as well as scholarly interest. His entry on Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i is among the most detailed in the work, covering his lineage (descended from Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, making him a distant relative of the Prophet, peace be upon him), his early education in Mecca and Medina under Imam Malik and other masters, his period in Baghdad and his debate with Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani of the Hanafi school, and his final years in Egypt where he composed the mature versions of his legal works.

Al-Nawawi pays close attention to the distinction between al-Shafi'i's 'old school' (madhab qadim), developed during his Baghdad period, and his 'new school' (madhab jadid), developed in Egypt. This distinction is technically significant because the two schools sometimes differ on substantive legal questions, and the authoritative position within the Shafi'i madhab is generally that of the new school unless the old school is explicitly preferred by later authorities. Understanding this biographical fact is essential for correctly navigating the Shafi'i legal texts, since references to 'the old opinion' or 'the new opinion' appear throughout the tradition without always explaining the historical context that gave rise to them.

The principal students of al-Shafi'i who transmitted his school each receive entries that document their role in spreading the madhab to different regions. Al-Muzani, who remained in Egypt and transmitted the new school's works, is described as one of the most important figures in consolidating Shafi'i jurisprudence. His Mukhtasar, a concise summary of al-Shafi'i's positions, became one of the foundational texts of the school. Al-Rabi' ibn Sulayman al-Muradi, al-Shafi'i's closest student in his final years, transmitted the most reliable versions of his teacher's works. Al-Buwayti, who led the circle after al-Shafi'i's death until he died in prison for refusing to profess the Mu'tazilite doctrine of the created Quran, receives an entry that honors both his scholarship and his steadfastness.

Al-Nawawi also includes entries on the founders of the other three legal schools, since the Shafi'i tradition engages their positions in almost every area of jurisprudence. The entry on Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Thabit acknowledges his extraordinary legal acumen and the breadth of his influence while noting the Shafi'i school's disagreements with his methodology. The entry on Malik ibn Anas honors his unique proximity to the practice of the prophetic city and his mastery of Medinan hadith. The entry on Ahmad ibn Hanbal, whose biography in al-Nawawi's other works receives extended treatment, emphasizes his role as the great defender of the Sunnah against the Mu'tazilite inquisition and his status as one of the most important figures in the history of hadith scholarship. This ecumenical coverage reflects al-Nawawi's conviction that students benefit from understanding the full landscape of classical Islamic jurisprudence.